Pedestal desk with drawer lock



United States Patent Regis R. Miller Penn Hills Township, Pennsylvania779,434

Nov. 27, 1968 Nov. 10, 1970 Haskell Manufacturing Co. Inc. Verona,Pennsylvania a corporation of Pennsylvania inventor Appl. No. FiledPatented Assignee PEDESTAL DESK WITH DRAWER LOCK 9 Claims, 3 DrawingFigs.

US. Cl 312/221, 312/218 Int. Cl E051) 65/46 Field of Search 312/104, 215to 221 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,180,630 11/1939l-learn 312/218 2,860,025 11/1958 l-lutzelman. 312/221 2,882,112 4/1959Jarvi 312/221 3,371,974 3/1968 Vermeersch 312/218 PrimaryExaminer-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney- Brown, Critchlow, Flick and PeckhamABSTRACT: One or more drawers of a pedestal desk are locked by avertical locking bar that has a vertical slot in its upper end.Extending lengthwise of the desk through this slot for operating the baris a longitudinally movable horizontal actuating bar provided with arecess extending downwardly from its top. The recess has a wall inclinedlengthwise of the actuating bar for sliding engagement with the upperend of the slot when manually operable means move the actuating barlengthwise, whereby the locking bar is lowered and raised to and fromlocking position.

Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Sheet 1 of2 IN VENTOR. AEGAS- A. 41/1 LERllllllll'lhll llll ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 10, 1970 v 3,539,236

Sheet, 2 012 I 'INVENTOR.

256/5 R. M/L L ER ATTORNEKS.

PEDESTAL DESK WITH DRAWER LOCK It is among the objects of this inventionto provide a pedestal desk with a locking mechanism that is simple andinexpensive in construction, that is easy to operate, that is reliableand secure, and that requires but little space.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FlG. l is a front view of the desk with the drawers unlocked;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a locked drawer;and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the lockingmechanism.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a horizontal rectangular metalframe 1 is provided with a flat top 2 serving as the work surface of thedesk. The corners of this top are supported by four legs 3, and the backlegs are connected by a vertical back panel 4. At each end of the deskthe front and back legs are connected by a vertical end panel that formsthe outer side of a U-shape sheet metal enclosure for a set of drawers5. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner panels 6 of the two enclosures definethe central knee-hole space in the desk. The opposite sides of eachdrawer are provided with tracks that have outwardly projectinglongitudinal flanges 7. These flanges project between the flanges ofchannels 8 that are attached to upright stiffeners 9 secured to thesides of the drawer enclosure. Between the drawer track flanges 7 andthe lower flanges of the channels there-are the usual runners (notshown) so that the drawers may be pulled in and out easily.

In accordance with this invention, the front portion of the upper flangeof each inner channel 8 is cut away to expose the drawer track flange,which is provided with an opening 11 therethrough. When the drawer isclosed, it can be locked by a laterally projecting member or finger 12that extends down into the opening close to its rear wall, whichconstitutes a locking surface. The finger is secured to a verticalmember 13 that can slide up and down the outer faces of the adjoiningtrack channels 8. To guide and hold the locking bar formed by members 12and 13, a tongue 14 struck out of each channel extends around the bar,with its free end extending back into the opening formed by the tongue.

The upper end of each locking bar is provided with a vertical slot 16 asshown in FIG. 3. Extending through this slot there is a horizontalactuating bar l7'that extends lengthwise of the desk in the areasurrounded by the desk top frame 1. The bar is supported and held onedge by channellike brackets 18 mounted on top of the inner panels 6 ofthe drawer enclosures. The vertical flanges of these brackets areprovided with slots 19, through which the ends of the actuating barextend and in which the bar can slide, Each locking bar extends upthrough an opening 20 in the bottom of the overlying bracket, and theactuating bar extends through bar slot 16 to support the locking bar.

Between the sides of each bracket 18 the actuating bar is provided witha recess 22 that extends downwardly from its top. This recess has alower wall that is inclined lengthwise of the bar for sliding engagementwith the upper end of locking bar slot 16. At the lower end of thisrecess the end wall of the recess is substantially vertical. When thelocking bar is at the bottom of the recess, the locking fingers aredisposed in the openings 11 in the drawer tracks and the drawers arelocked.

To unlock the drawers, the actuating bar is moved in a direction tocause the inclined walls of its recesses 22 to raise the locking fingers12 out of locking engagement with the drawers. This movement of theactuating bar preferably is caused by the upper end of an arm 24, thelower end of which is mounted on a rotatable member 25 journaled in theside flanges of an inverted channel 26 that connects the inner panels ofthe drawer enclosures. The arm extends up through a longitudinal slot 27in the channel. When this rotatable member, which may be provided with akey slot 28 for receiving a key to turn it, is turned it will swing theupper end of the arm lengthwise of the actuating bar. The upper endofthe arm is provided with a projecting pin 29 that engages theactuating bar in a notch 30. The arm may be protected, and the centralportion of the actuating bar supported and guided by a channellikebracket 31 rigidly mounted between channel 26 and the flat top of thedesk.

When arm 24 is swung to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3, its pin compels theactuating bar to move to the right to raise the locking bars and therebyunlock the drawers. When the arm is swung in the opposite direction, thepin will move the actuating bar in the opposite direction and therebyallow the locking bars to descend by gravity and lock the drawers.

in the desk disclosed herein, manual operation of the actuating barcauses it either to lift a pair of locking bars to unlock the drawers,or to allow the locking bars to drop by gravity into locking position.The locking mechanism therefore is very simple in construction andoperation, yet dependable.

I claim:

I. A pedestal desk comprising a work surface, a drawer beneath saidsurface provided with a locking surface, tracks supporting the drawer, avertical locking bar beside the drawer extending above one of thetracks, said bar being movable vertically between upper and lowerpositions and having a vertical slot in its upper end, a longitudinallymovable horizontal actuating bar supported beneath said work surface andextending lengthwise of the desk and through said slot for supportingthe locking bar, the actuating bar being provided with a recessextending downwardly from its top, the recess having a wall inclinedlengthwise of the actuating bar for sliding engagement with the upperend of said slot, and manually operable means for moving the actuatingbar lengthwise to cause said inclined wall to raise and lower thelocking bar, the locking bar being engageable in one of said positionswith said drawer locking surface to hold the drawer closed.

2. A pedestal desk according to claim 1, in which said actuating barrecess has a substantially vertical wall at the low end of said inclinedwall.

3. A pedestal desk according to claim 1, in which said manually operablemeans include a pivoted arm, means for swinging the arm lengthwise ofsaid actuating bar, and means for operatively connecting the swingingarm with the actuating bar to move that bar.

4. A pedestal desk according to claim 3, in which said armswinging meansinclude a rotatable member secured to the arm for swinging it, saidmember being provided with a key slot for receiving a key to turn thatmember.

5. A pedestal desk according to claim 3, in which said lastmentionedmeans includes a notch in the actuating bar receiving said arm.

6. A pedestal desk according to claim 1, in which said locking barincludes a vertical member and a laterally projecting member, thelaterally projecting member being disposed above said drawer lockingsurface while said vertical member is in its upper position and beingdisposed in front of said surface while the vertical member is in itslower position.

7. A pedestal desk according to claim 6, including means below saidlaterally projecting member slidably receiving said vertical member tohold and guide the locking bar.

8. A pedestal desk according to claim 6, including means below saidlaterally projecting member slidably receiving said vertical member tohold and guide the locking bar, said lastmentioned means being securedto the outside of said one track.

9. A pedestal desk according to claim 1, in which said drawer is at oneend of the desk, a second drawer is located at the opposite end of thedesk and has a locking surface, tracks support the second drawer. asecond vertical locking bar is beside the second drawer and has avertical slot in its upper end, said actuating bar extends through thatslot and is provided with a recess having an inclined wall for raisingand lowering the second locking bar, and said manually operable meansare located between said drawers.

